The Concubine of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 353: Indigestion?

As soon as the Empress Dowager entered the room, she looked straight at the Fifth Prince. After a while, she came to her senses and looked at the Emperor: "How is Baoqing?"

The Grand Empress Dowager would not offend Kangxi, but she never said a word of nonsense. She asked the point directly! The Grand Empress Dowager did not care much about whether the Fifth Prince was good or not. She was resolute and decisive, and she had sent away many children from the harem of Emperor Taizong Huang Taiji.

Take the previous emperor's palace for example. She had sent away many of his own grandchildren! Even the Grand Empress Dowager herself had sent away a pair of her own children. If she wasn't too hard-hearted, she wouldn't have survived.

The Grand Empress Dowager was concerned about Kangxi's harem and descendants, but only because they were Kangxi's royal heirs and the next in line to the throne of the Qing Dynasty. Each of them was related to the stability of the previous dynasty, the harem, and the world.

There is no need to say who is more important, the emperor or the infant prince. The Empress Dowager's intention is very clear as to which side the scale is tipped towards.

But the palace cannot be without stability of offspring, the Empress Dowager knew this very well, especially Baoqing. When Kangxi wanted to give this name to the fifth prince, the Empress Dowager strongly disagreed.

The name "Baoqing" has a very obvious meaning. The Empress Dowager persuaded the emperor earnestly at that time: the foundation of the ancestors depends on a child, which is tantamount to making a joke of the vast country! If something happens to Prince Baoqing, the whole country will be in turmoil.

What is the Son of Heaven? The Emperor's will is the will of God. To protect the Qing Dynasty, to protect the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, such an obvious implication undoubtedly links the Qing Dynasty with a child like the Fifth Prince. If the Fifth Prince has a headache or a fever, or something more serious, the Emperor and I are both unforgivable sinners of the Aisin-Gioro clan and the Qing Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the emperor's words are not jokes. How can we change what the emperor said? The story of King You lighting a beacon fire to trick the princes is well known to the princes and the Empress Dowager is also well aware of it.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were on the same side, otherwise the wolves and tigers watching would have rushed over eagerly, hoping to devour them.

So the Empress Dowager may have disagreements with Kangxi in private and try to persuade him, but to the outside world, she always has the same attitude, the same stance, and the same words. When an orphan and a widow are unable to defeat the enemy, they must work together.

"Don't worry, Empress Dowager. The imperial physician is already watching." Kangxi helped the Empress Dowager into the hall. Three or four imperial physicians surrounded the Fifth Prince and served him.

As long as there is no news, it is good news. If it really comes to the point where there is no way back, the doctors will not only look heavy-hearted, but will kneel on the ground and plead guilty to the emperor, the empress, and the grand empress dowager.

They also know the importance of the Fifth Prince.

The Empress Dowager also looked at the Fifth Prince, who was crying heartbreakingly, for a while, and frowned her fierce eyes coldly, "Why is Fifth Prince so sick?"

The Empress Dowager had experienced the secrets of the harem, and it was hard for her to believe that the slightest disturbance was an accident. Everyone had seen the favoritism that Taizong's Consort, her biological sister, had received from Emperor Taizong, her husband.

But did she save the only prince she had? Like Concubine Chen, Concubine Dong E, whom her son loved very much, was also a woman with luck but no fate. History is always surprisingly similar. They were both favored by their husbands, gave birth to princes who were loved by the emperor the most, and both died young and depressed!

In the harems of successive generations of emperors, all of them went through this. The Empress Dowager knew when to close her eyes and mouth, and she was not deaf or dumb, and she did not want to be a family father. Some children are simply not born. You can guarantee today, but not tomorrow.

The Grand Empress Dowager understood this truth. So she could be cruel enough not to intervene. But the Grand Empress Dowager did not do nothing. She had to ensure that there must be a prince in the palace, that the emperor had a son to inherit the throne, and that the people in the imperial court, the harem, and even the world would be at peace.

So, the Empress Dowager openly suspected, the harem? Did someone lay hands on the Fifth Prince? The Queen? It's not impossible! The Queen was virtuous, the Empress Dowager admitted, but no matter how virtuous a person is, they all have their dark side.

They all have their own bottom line. Undoubtedly, Baoqing stood in the way of the Queen's bottom line, and there were also the former imperial harem, the Empress Dowager, the late Emperor, and the Emperor. There were always many enemies, and if there was no opportunity, they would create one. This was a good opportunity to stir up trouble, and some people would never let it go.

"Fifth Prince suddenly vomited milk!" Kangxi came early and did not do nothing. He already knew the whole cause and effect clearly. Of course, there might be some fog blocking it. Regardless of whether there is or not, Kangxi would only blame the person who might have done it.

Kangxi's expression had stabilized. Although he was anxious, he was also calm. "The Queen Mother also knows that infants have weak spleens and stomachs, especially when they are just born. It is normal for the spleen and stomach to be in disharmony."

It looked and sounded perfectly normal! But there were many such coincidences in the palace. The princes would always have such coincidences because of one thing or another, and the consequences would be the same in the end.

The Empress Dowager frowned, "Indigestion is a common problem, especially for a newborn like the Fifth Prince!"

"Is your spleen and stomach not in harmony?" The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, "How did your servants take care of you? They didn't even take care of you more carefully."

"I have not served the emperor well. I beg the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress to punish me." Concubine Yehenala was so smart that she was rare in the harem. The Empress Dowager was clearly holding the servants responsible for not serving the emperor well. But Concubine Yehenala, the legitimate mother, did not discipline the servants, so that the servants did not serve the emperor well? Does that mean she is innocent?
Concubine Yehenala knew that it was not the case! She was the biological mother, but she was still inferior to the heir, even though she had been pregnant for ten months and had gone through hardships to give birth to the child.

There was no way that Concubine Yehenala could not have failed to understand what the Empress Dowager meant.

When the Fifth Prince fell ill, his nanny, wet nurse, and other servants were all there to serve him. The Empress Dowager wanted to hold him accountable, so all the servants, no matter what they were doing, suddenly knelt down and apologized, saying, "We have failed to serve you well, please forgive us, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."

"Go and serve the Fifth Prince." Kangxi glanced at them and was not in a hurry to deal with the servants. He was also thinking about whether he could catch a big fish under the watchful eyes of the public. Besides, the Fifth Prince also needed to leave people to serve him, and he was afraid that he would not be able to get started in a short time if he filled in the new servants.

"Yes!" the servants responded in unison. They hurried on with their work. The Emperor had spoken with such authority and the Empress Dowager had not interrupted them, so they had passed this hurdle for the time being.

"My grandson thinks that we should let them continue to serve for the time being. Whether it is to atone for their crimes or punish them all together will become clear at the time." Kangxi explained to the Empress Dowager.